Story+1981-08-24+Los+Angeles,+CA

“This is for you, Pops...”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, intro to “Independence Day”**

“This is, uh...this song, I guess it’s about...I’ve been, I’ve been real lucky...and I’ve had about as much...as much freedom as, as money can buy you in this country...but...I guess you’re never...it’s like you’re never really free until...until everybody else is (crowd cheers)...”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, intro to “Jackson Cage”**

“This is, uh…this is for the Vietnam Veterans that are here with us tonight (crowd cheers)...”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, intro to “This Land Is Your Land”**

“We’re gonna take a break but then we’re gonna come back! (crowd cheers)…”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, after “Thunder Road”**

“Alright, everybody…get loose now… (…) That was Flo and Eddie helping us out (?)…”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, intro to “Hungry Heart”**

“I’ll be right back...(long pause)...just one of those things, huh? (laughs from the crowd) Caddy!...”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, intro to “Cadillac Ranch”**

“There we were (crowd cheers) it was Christmas Eve (crowd cheers) and me and Clarence and Steve...we were...we were driving home in Clarence’s old car...we didn’t have no instruments, couldn’t get no jobs anymore...we were down on our luck...we decided we wasn’t even gonna give each other presents this year... somebody’d stolen all our guitars...we were ‘bout to just give up show business (crowd: “No”)...and then we got a flat tire...I hate... flat tires (crowd cheers) we were on this dark road...was no moon out or nothing, was as dark you could get, we were surrounded by woods and all we heard was this howling sound coming out of the trees (crowd howls) so...we were trying to decide who was gonna get out and hitchhike to the gas-station...now I knew that I didn’t have to get out...because I’m the Boss, baby! (crowd cheers) now we knew...we knew Clarence, he certainly didn’t have to go...he’s bigger than Steve (laughs from the crowd) so just...as we were pushing Steve through that little side vent window...all of a sudden just like in that movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” we seen a big flashing light come over our car (crowd cheers) I stuck my head out, I looked up...I seen this cherry red flying saucer (crowd cheers) it had, on the side, it said ”Moony’s Hamburgers... one giant step for mankind, two cheeseburgers to go, baby” (crowd cheers) this little guy stuck his head out, said “Man, I’m late for delivery, can you tell me how to get to the New Jersey Turnpike?” (crowd cheers) now...you know we ain’t as dumb as we look, we don’t, we just don’t tell anybody how to get to the New Jersey Turnpike (crowd cheers) so we made a deal...we said if you give us one wish and we give him directions how to get back on track...said “Ok”...told him how to get to the Turnpike...and then right as we stood there...and on Christmas Eve...this dirty rat...this nasty cat... took off in a trail of light disappeared off into the edge of the sky without so much as a goodbye (crowd boos) we felt kind of bad... we felt kind of disillusioned...we almost didn’t believe in Santa Claus no more (crowd cheers) but just as that guy was disappearing away we seen something slip out of the back of his spaceship and land...about a hundred yards down the road...and as we looked...it looked like something that we’d be wishing (crowd cheers) and it was at that moment...that we decided...to continue in our careers…in rock and roll (crowd cheers)...”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, middle of “Growin’ Up”**

“And that’s how we’re here tonight (crowd cheers)…”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, after “Growin’ Up”**

‘‘This is, uh...Tom, I wanna do this for you, you know, if you’re out there, this is a song that, uh...I wrote, uh...for Elvis Presley...you know it’s, uh...I remember he was kind of...I mean when I was nine years old and my mom had on the Ed Sullivan Show and I first seen him come on, you know...and...I made my mother go out and, and rent me this guitar so I could try and learn how to play...but I only played for about six months and then I gave up…till I was about 13 but...after, uh...to me, he was like, he was like the father of my country, you know, he, he showed me a lot (crowd cheers) and...uh ...after he died, I thought a lot about what had happened to him and how...how you can...how somebody who had so much could end up, could end up that way because, uh...he deserved a lot better than he got (crowd cheers)...”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, intro to “Johnny Bye Bye”**

“Ladies and gentlemen...to the far left of the stage...I’m talking about over that way...see that guy back there?...on the piano, let’s hear it for Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) on the guitar...let’s hear it for…Miami Steve Van Zandt (crowd cheers) on the bass...Mr Garry W. Tallent (crowd cheers) on the drums...The Mighty Max Weinberg (crowd cheers) on the organ...the Phantom, Dan Federici (crowd cheers) and now (crowd cheers) I don’t blame you...for being excited...because I’m gonna introduce to you a man right now...everybody knows he’s called the king of the world...the master of the universe...the emperor of all things...he’s faster than a speeding bullet...he’s more powerful than a rolling locomotive... he’s able to leap tall women, I mean tall buildings in a single bound ...now I ain’t talking about a bird...I ain’t talking about a plane...and I ain’t talking about a bus either, baby...I’m talking about, gimme a C-L-A-R-E-N-C-E, what’s that spell? (crowd: “Clarence”) what’s that spell? (crowd: “Clarence”) what’s that spell? (crowd: “Clarence”) spotlight on the Big Man!...”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, middle of “Rosalita”**

“There’s a guy that’s written a lot of great songs like “Ol’55,” “Heart of Saturday Night”...and...this song that...that when I heard it, I remember it was one of those songs I said “Well, I wish, I wish I’d wrote that,” it’s a song called “Jersey Girl” and Tom Waits is gonna sing it with us (crowd cheers)...”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, intro to “Jersey Girl”**

“Thanks, I wanna thank everybody for coming down to the show tonight, thanks a lot (crowd cheers)…”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, intro to “Born to Run”**

“I’m gonna get a heart attack up here…is that what you’re waiting for? (crowd cheers)…”
 * 24.08.81 Los Angeles, CA, intro to “Twist and Shout”**

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//